Game 40 discussion thread: Nationals at Cardinals

How much significance should we assign to this game? The Nationals will fly back to Washington afterward, and they're eager to get this nine-game, three-city, one-doubleheader beast over with. Any win is nice, and they all count the same in the standings. But tonight seems packed with more meaning than usual.

If the Nationals win, they will snap a four-game losing streak. If they win, they head home 4-5 on the trip, which just feels and looks a lot better than 3-6. Tonight will mark the end of the first quarter of the season, one of the year's milestones. Lose, and they sink back to .500 even. Win, and they can say they're a winning team with three-fourths of the year left. That's all symbolic, of course, but could it mean something?

It's a big start for John Lannan. He spent four innings in Colorado alleviating concern about his left elbow, then spent the next inning raising doubts about his health and efficacy. It's a warm, comfortable night in St. Louis, so conditions should be ideal for Lannan to keep his flexor tendon loose.

He and the Nationals will have to beat Chris Carpenter to head home happy. Talk about it all right here.

The runner on 3rd. after a near life time of playing the game is still to stupid to know that the opposing team is giving you a run for a double play, should be pulled from the game. The 3rd. base coach should be fired along with that idiot announcer who thought he didn't run because he was worried about a triple play. I can not watch or listen to such incompetence.

g3jr:
From my perspective, any player who either can't get it done in the field or the mound, or pulls a bonehead move on the bases is a target. Guzman is the fall-guy so far tonight, but just about everybody else on the roster has fallen prey so far.

It's frustrating to see the offense disappear, but it's not as bad when it's against a Cy Young winner. Against Lohse it's worse. Still, they had chances to score and once (or twice) again couldn't come through in the clutch. I'm sure it won't be the last stretch where they frustrate us, but I'm just as sure there will be times they look like a playoff team. Hopefully next year it will be the latter more often.

Anyone else getting tired of seeing Harris continually do nothing except walk around with a scowl on his face? He always looks like he's upset he isn't starting... too bad he can't see the numbers they post beneath him when he's at bat. Even Tavaras was outhitting him.

Bin -- I'm a long-time lurker here and it just seems like Guz is the target an inordinate amount of time. I hated him as much as anyone in 2005 when he was killing us with his barely-.200 avg, but been a big fan ever since. He produces. Consistently and quietly.

OKAY!!! Everyone back away from the ledge and put away those sharp objects, this was a fustrating road trip with some gut wrenching loses but every team goes through it the Cards had lost nine of twelve before we came to town we'll be fine Livo's gonna stop the losing streak and we will get back on track but we can't take the Mets or the O's lightly. The pitching hasn't been horrible,yeah Clippard hasn't been getting it done of late but Storen should assume that role but they need to find a way to get Guzmzn in the lineup on a daily basis he hit's plain and simple and right now we need his bat Riggleman may need to tweak the lineup any idea's fellow posters.